Playing bar



Sept. 7, 1942;. o, YATE 2,449,032

PLAYING BAR Filed June 5, 1945 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Sept. 7, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLAYDNG BAR Olen H.Yates, Pontiac, Mich.

Application June 5, 1945, Serial No. 597,693

Claims. 1

This invention relates to playing bars for steel, Hawaiian, electricguitars or similar instruments wherein such a device is used, and hasfor its object to provide a type of playing bar adapted not only toensure or assist a beginner in the correct holding of the bar but alsoto encourage the proper distribution of pressure of the bar over thestrings of the instrument in playing.

The method of holding the bar and of applying pressure thereof againstthe strings of the instrument is of great importance in assuring correcttone from the strings and resonance from the instrument; and in theteaching of beginners especially considerable difiiculty is frequentlyexperienced in preventing them from curling or straining the fingers inan effort to hold the bar too tightly, from extending the index fingerbeyond the forward end of the playing bar with consequent tendency totilt the bar at an angle to the plane of the strings, and also fromplacing an undesired pressure on the rear end of the bar; and it is anobject of this invention to provide a playing bar which by itsconstruction will discourage such tendencies on the part of the beginnerand assist him in acquiring a correct technique in the handling of theplaying bar right from the beginning of his instruction.

Still further objects or advantages additional or subsidiary to theaforesaid objects, or resulting from the construction or operation ofthe invention as it may be carried into effect, will become apparent asthe said invention is hereinafter further disclosed.

In carrying the said invention into effect, I may provide a playing barof somewhat heavier section in the rear portion than in the frontportion thereof, said playing bar having slightly indented sides toreceive and position the thumb and second finger of the players hand,and the upper surface of the said playing bar being recessed in anarcuate manner as viewed in transverse section and progressing in aforwardly downwardly inclined manner as viewed in longitudinal section,said recess terminating at its forward end in a wall or finger stop. Allof which is more particularly described and ascertained hereinafter, byway of example, having reference to the accompanying drawing, whereinFigure l is an elevation of a playing bar embodying the said invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is a plan of underside of the same;

Figure 4. is a rear end elevation of the same;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional View taken on a plane indicated by theline 5--5 in Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View of the said playingbar.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts in the severalfigures of the drawing.

H I!) indicates in general a playing bar having the usual rounded bottomedge H for contact with the strings of a guitar or similar instrumentand the sides of the bar are shown as being slightly recessedlongitudinall at l2 and I3 to receive the ball of the thumb and theforward part of the second finger respectively of the player; i4 being aslightly arcuate recess running along the top of the bar to receive thefirst finger of the player.

The said recess I4 is terminated at the forward end of the bar by anupwardly extending wall or stop [5 against which the end of the firstfinger is intended to rest in a playing position, this being generallyrecognized as the correct position of the first finger upon the playingbar. The tendency, especially among beginners, is to project the firstfinger beyond the forward end of the playing bar, which habit thepresence of the said stop l5 prevents. Such undue projection of thefinger causes the rear end of the bar to be pushed back toward or intothe palm of the hand and pressed downwardly so that proper contact ofthe forward end of the playing bar with the treble strings of theinstrument is not made and undue pressure of the rear end of the bar onthe bass strings is also brought about.

There must be a delicate balance between the pressure on the treblestrings and on the bass strings, not easily acquired with the old typeof playing bar heretofore used, and to further facilitate the securingand maintenance of this balance I prefer to slightly increase the weightof the rear end of the bar over that of the front end of the bar so thatthe center of gravity is situated toward the rear of the said bar andthis. is accomplished in the present example by inclining the uppersurface 14 downwardly from the rear to the front of the bar, as shown,and also by somewhat increasing the thickness of the bar at the rear endso that the body tapers slightly toward the front end. Thus there is anexcess of metal in the rear half of the bar as compared with the forwardhalf thereof.

Still further, to promote the proper finger position andpressuredistribution, I prefer to incline the forward part of the recessor finger rest surface at a greater angle to the general plane of thedevice than is the rear portion of such surface as will be clear from anexamination of the section, Figure 6.

I prefer to make the upper surface of the bar concave to assist inpositioning the first finger in correct alignment over the bar althoughthe surface need not necessarily be so formed; and similarly thegrooving or recessing of the sides of the bar is a matter of preference.

This invention may be developed within the scope of the following claimswithout departing i i ,l i I 3 from the essential features of the saidinvention, and it is desired that the specification and drawing be readas being merely illustrative of a practical embodiment of the saidinvention and not in a strictly limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. In a playing bar of the type described, :a bar body having alongitudinal finger channel of substantially arcuate section along thetop thereof to receive the first finger of the player, said channelterminating short of the forward end of the bar body to provide a finger'stcpcabove the forward end of the said bar body.

2. In a playing bar of the type described, 'a-ba-r body having alongitudinal finger channel of substantially arcuate section terminatingshort of the forward end of said bar body to provide a finger stop atthat point, andthefonward portion of said channel being slanteddownwardly at an increasing angle to thehorizontal.

3. 'In a playing bar of the type described, a bar :body having alongitudinal finger channel of substantially arcuate section along :thetop thereof,

said bar body being tapered forwardly to provide nel terminating shortof the forward end of the bar body to provide a finger stop above theforward end of the said bar body, the forward portion of said channelbeing slanted downwardly at an increasing angle to the horizontal, saidbar body being tapered forwardly to provide a rearwardly disposed centerof gravity in said body.

5. In a playing bar of the type described, a bar body having alongitudinal finger channel of OLEN H. YATES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name .Date

1,748,053 Blair Feb. '25, 1930 1,901,456 Carter May 16, 1933 2,184,733Burgien Dec. 26, 1939

